Students clash with brickbats at BHU during Holi celebrations

Varanasi: Violence erupted in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) premises as inmates of the Birla and Lal Bahadur Shastri hostels attacked one another with brickbats, following a clash over playing Holi on the campus.

The incident took place late Tuesday and a heavy deployment of police force has been made on the campus.

BHU chief proctor Prof Anand Chaudhary said that a large number of students have started leaving their hostel rooms in view of spread of Covid-19 in many hostels on campus and also in view of the festival of Holi which is on March 29.

Students present in Birla and LBS hostels were playing colours on the hostel road between the buildings of two hostels when some dispute occurred between them and they clashed. Soon the situation deteriorated. Some inmates of Birla hostel climbed up on to the terrace of hostel and were pelting stones from there.

SP City Vikas Chandra Tripathi said that on being alerted by the BHU administration, police force was rushed to the campus. Inmates of both hostels were sent inside their rooms.

The officials of university administration, hostels, proctorial board and police spoke to the students of both groups and convinced them to return to their hostel rooms.

The situation remains tense but under control, officials said.